Communication 200 Communication and Social Science Fall 2017 Number of Units: 4 Tues, Thurs 11:00 am to 12:20 pm Section: 20327R Location: ASC G26

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1 Communication 200 Communication and Social Science Fall 2017 Number of Units: 4 Tues, Thurs 11:00 am to 12:20 pm Section: 20327R Location: ASC G26 Ken Sereno ASC 202-C (213) (Office) sereno@usc.edu Teaching Assistants: Matthew Bui buim@usc.edu Nathaniel (Ming) Curran ncurran@usc.edu Sonia Shaikh soniajas@usc.edu Jingyi Sun jingyisu@usc.edu Prawit Thainiyom thainiyo@usc.edu Office Hours: Tuesdays: 10:00-10:40; 3:30-5:00 Wednesdays: 10:00-11:30; 2:00-3:30 Thursdays: 10:00-10:40; 3:30-5:00 Other times by arrangement. Please drop by. If you can t make my office hours, talk with me before or after class or call or me and we can arrange another time. For those of you who may be intimidated, don t be. There s no pressure. We re just going to say hello. I can answer any questions or concerns you may have. You can tell me if you have any special needs. I d like to get to know each of you personally. Text: Dainton, M. and Zelley, E.D. (2015) Applying communication theory for professional life. (Third Edition) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Available at USC Bookstore. Also available on Amazon.com in Kindle or paperback versions. Lecture Notes: Sereno, K. (2017) Communication 200 Lecture Notes.

2 2 You may download the notes by going to the Blackboard Comm 200 Home Page. The notes are in Content in the upper left menu. The notes will have blanks (descriptions, examples, comparisons and contrasts). You will get this information in the lectures. Top Hat: Top Hat is a web application that allows me to record attendance and that allows you to respond to Multiple Choice questions that I put on the screen using your laptop, tablet or mobile phone. You must purchase a Top Hat account, which you obtain from the Top Hat website. To obtain an account, go to Click on Student Signup and follow directions. Register for COMM 200 Fall Join code: Course Description: This course is a survey of fundamental content in communication. It introduces you to the nature of social scientific scholarship; major social scientific perspectives on the communication process; the role of theory in research; beginning research methods; and major intrapersonal, interpersonal, persuasion, group, organizational, mediated and mass communication theories. Course Objectives: 1. To have you describe and explain the nature, usefulness, methods and issues connected with a social scientific approach to the study of communication. 2. To have you describe and explain the major perspectives and theories of communication. 3. To have you demonstrate your ability to use constructs from theories of communication to explain actual communication behavior. Grading: Examination points Examination points Final Examination 100 points (Not cumulative) Term Paper 100 points Standards for letter grades: A = points B = points C = points D = points F = Below 60 points I give plusses and minuses. For example, B grades are assigned as follows: B- = B = B+ = 87-89

3 3 I do not grade on a curve. I will give as many As, Bs, etc. as are earned. Your course grade will be an average of all of your grades. Examinations: Each examination will consist of the following parts: Multiple Choice 44 points (22 two-point questions) Short Answer 36 points (4 nine-point questions) Essay 20 points (1 question) Students With Learning Disabilities Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to your TA as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in GFS 120 and is open 8:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Website and contact information for DSP: (213) (Phone), (213) (TDD only), (213) (FAX) ability@usc.edu. Examinations and Religious Holy Days You may arrange to take an exam on an alternative date if the exam falls on a religious Holy Day. Notify your TA at least one week in advance of the holy day. Do not expect to be excused from taking the exam on the assigned date if you fail to notify your discussion instructor one week in advance of the Holy Day. Obtaining Your Examination Grades: Your exam will be passed back for you to examine in your Discussion Section after all exams have been graded. This will be about one week after the exam is given. If you are absent when the exams are returned, it is your responsibility to ask your TA to see your exam. If you have any questions or concerns about a grade, see your TA during his/her Office Hours. Grades will be posted on Blackboard. It is your responsibility to be aware your grades. Make-up Exams: Make-up exams will be held on the following lecture day after an exam is given. This semester all midterm exams will be given on Tuesdays; thus, the make-up exams will be administered on the following Thursdays during class time (i.e., 11:00-12:20). The rooms where the make-up exams will be administered will be posted on the Comm 200 Blackboard Homepage in Announcements. You may take the make-up exam without penalty if you have a valid, verifiable excuse. If you do not have a valid excuse, you may still take the make-up exam, but you will be penalized 10 points. If you miss both the exam and the make-up exam, you must immediately your TA and arrange a day and time when you may take the exam. If you have no excuse for missing

4 4 the exam or its make-up, you will be penalized 20 points. Bring your excuses when you take the make-up. Attendance in Lectures: The total number of classes you attend in which attendance is recorded by Top Hat will determine attendance. You have 12 attendance points already awarded. Attendance points will be added to your total examination and term paper points at the end of the semester. You are allowed 2 unexcused absences. Starting with the 3rd unexcused absence, you will lose 3 points for every absence. If you attend class but arrive after attendance has been recorded or if you have trouble submitting your attendance response because of connection difficulties, contact your TA at the end of class and send her/him a confirming right away. Attendance and Participation in Discussion Section: Attendance will be taken in your Discussion Section. Your participation will be noted. Excellent attendance and outstanding participation may determine whether your grade will be raised if your final average is at the borderline between two grades; e.g., if your average is at the borderline between B and A (e.g., 89). If you have more than three unexcused discussion section absences your grade will not be raised even if you have outstanding participation. Remember, it takes both excellent attendance and outstanding participation for a borderline grade to be raised. Bonus Points: You may earn a possible 9 bonus points, which will be added to the total number of points you earn on the four exams and term paper. You may earn points for participating as a subject in communication research studies conducted by School of Communication faculty, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students. You must also write a one-page reaction paper. The top half of the paper should describe the study with specific details. The bottom half of the paper should note connections you see between your research experience and any content you are learning in class. your reaction paper to your TA. Each research study you participate in and write a reaction paper on will be worth 3 points. You may participate in a maximum of 3 research studies for a possible total of 9 points. You will not receive bonus points for studies that Dr. Sereno has not approved. Opportunities for bonus points will be announced in class. You will have several opportunities during the semester. Academic Integrity Policy: The following is the USC Annenberg School of Communication s policy on academic integrity and repeated in the syllabus for every course in the school: USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an

5 5 instructor, and the obligations both to protect one s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another s work as one s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook, ( or contains the University Student Conduct Code (see University Governance, Section 11.00), while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A. All academic integrity violations will be reported to the office of Student Judicial Affairs & Community Standards (SJACS), as per university policy, as well as Communication school administrators. In addition, it is assumed that the work you submit for this course is work you have produced entirely by yourself, and has not been previously produced by you for submission in another course or Learning Lab, without approval of the instructor. Respectful Behavior: I will communicate with respect to each of you. I expect you to communicate with me and with each other with respect. I will start class on time and end class on time. I expect you to be in class before 11:00 so that I may start promptly. Coming to class late or leaving early shows a lack of consideration for your fellow students and disrespect for me. Please turn off your cell phones when you come to class. To let your phone ring in class is not only disruptive but also insensitive and rude. A Personal Note: I hope that you find the course informative, that it helps you feel comfortable about Communication as a major, that you meet new and possibly, lifelong friends, and, finally, that you have a very enjoyable and successful semester. Class Schedule Fall 2016 Aug. 22 Orientation 24 Ch. 1 Introduction to Communication Theory 29 Continued 31 Ch. 2 Theory Development

6 6 5 Continued 7 Continued 12 Continued 14 Ch. 3 Cognition and Intrapersonal Communication 19 Continued 21 Continued 26 Examination 1 (Chapters 1, 2 and 3) 28 Ch. 7 Persuasion Oct. 3 Continued 5 Continued 10 Continued 12 Ch. 5 Interpersonal Communication 17 Continued 19 Continued 24 Continued 26 Ch. 8 Group Communication 31 Continued Nov. 2 Continued 7 Continued 9 Ch. 9 Organizational Communication 14 Examination 2 (Chapters 7, 5 and 8) 16 Continued

7 7 21 Continued 23 Thanksgiving Holiday 28 Ch. 10 Mediated Communication 30 Ch. 11 Mass Communication Dec. 4 All Make-Up Exams 12 Final Examination (Chapters 9, 10 and 11), 8:00-10:00 AM Note: The schedule may have to be changed. Final Examination Note: Do not schedule a flight before December 13 th. Tell you parents not to book a flight before December 13 th. Show them this syllabus with the final examination date. Do this right away. Do not tell me at the end of the semester than your parents booked a flight for you before December 13 th. You will not be allowed to take the final examination early. You must take the final examination on the date assigned by the university.